Free Choking Game by Yveta Germano Page A

"Don't you have anything better to do than to bother people who obviously don't give a damn about you? Find yourself someone your own size if you wanna fight. Or maybe I'm wrong—you don't wanna fight because you're too scared to get your butt kicked." With that, the girl turned back to Luke. "Thanks for wrapping my locker. How did you know it was my birthday?"
    "Had it in my reminders all along." Luke smiled and showed her the reminder in his cell phone.
    "Wow! Luke wasn't lying. He must know the girl."
    ~He doesn't, and it IS his locker.~
    "But she opened it."
    ~Sure she did. I bet the locker code was what Luke showed her on his reminder.~
    "What are you all staring at? Don't you have a class to go to?" The girl turned away from the crowd and reached into the locker. Everyone dispersed.
    ~Stay here. Let's see what they'll do. See? The girl stepped aside and Luke took out his books. I told you it was his locker.~
    "Why did he tape his own locker?"
    ~Who cares? Maybe he's as desperate as you are and tapes his own locker because no one else will do it for him.~
    "Whatever. I need to be in math."
    ~You know what I'm thinking?~
    "No and I don't care."
    ~Maybe it was Luke.~
    "It was Luke what? "
    ~Maybe it was Luke who wrapped your locker. Remember? You came to school and someone gift wrapped your locker on your birthday. You took pictures but didn't know who it was.~
    "I barely know him. He's in my first period and then in math. The last time Luke and I talked, Stanley was still alive. Even then we only talked like twice, maybe three times total."
    ~I still think Luke wrapped your locker. Ugh, math, I hate math.~
    "You hate math! What about me? Mom insisted I'd be in accelerated math since the second grade and ever since then I've hated nothing more than this catching up game. I don't belong there with nerds like Leslie."
    ~What's wrong with Leslie? She's smart.~
    "Exactly. And not just smart. She's condescending, competitive and obnoxiously right every single time she raises her hand. Sometimes I just want to grab her hand and yank it out of her shoulder socket."
    ~Ouch! That's harsh! Why would you wanna do that? She hasn't done anything to you.~
    "Not yet, but I won't put it past her."
    ~You're kind of paranoid.~
    "Maybe I have trust issues."
    ~Sometimes these conversations with you are very tiring.~
    "So why are you still talking to me? I thought you'd get tired of this a long time ago."
    ~I'm talking to save my own self. I already said that a hundred times—you die, I die. You may not give a damn, but I sure as hell do!~
    "What the—"
    ~Is this some kind of a coincidence?~
    "You told me there is no such thing as a coincidence."
    ~So how do you explain this girl in your math class?~
    "She took this class to be here with Luke."
    ~Yeah, right.~
    "This is Angelica," Mr. Trabold announced in math. "She moved here from New York last week, and she'll be your classmate."
    ~Angelica. I like that name. It's unusual.~
    "That name is almost as pretty as she is. I wonder if she's a nice person or another fake a-hole to add to a long list of people in this school."
    ~I have an inkling she may be the nice one. I mean the way she helped Luke before, a-holes don't do that.~
    "We'll see. It could have been an act."
    ~It could have, but I bet it wasn't.~
    "Did you see it?"
    ~Luke? Yeah, he smiled at her, and she smiled and nodded back.~
    "She whispered something. Did you catch it?"
    ~I'm not sure but I think she said you're welcome .~
    "I need to know now."
    ~Know what?~
    "If Luke taped my locker!"
    ~Why don't you ask him?~
    "Ask him? Just like that? What am I gonna say? Hey, dude, did you wrap my locker?"
    ~Yeah, why not? Go ahead, it's the perfect time—he's so close. You guys are practically walking next to each other to the cafeteria. Go for it! Don't be such a wimp!~
    "Hey, Luke!"
    "Yeah?" Luke said.
    "Uhm, I wanted to ask you, uhm, did you by any chance wrap my locker on my birthday?"
    "I hope you don't mind," Luke said.
    "You did?